Virus update: December 18, 2020

The Merced County Public Health Department announced on Friday that the current positive rate of infection in the last seven days among those tested is 13.9 percent and the total number of people who have died in the county from the virus are 216.

In California, 22,509 have died since the beginning of the pandemic, 228 died on Friday.

In the United States, 316,339 have died since the pandemic began, 2,542 died on Friday.

The total dead for the globe is estimated to be 1,672,772, with 4,648 dying on Friday.